Sewing machine



May 23, 1933. A. BATES 1,911,050

SEWING MACHINE Filed Ju1y`8, 1927 5 sheets-sheet 1 i M .-7 -..v

A. BATES SEWING MACHINE May 23, 1933.

Filed July 8, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 23, 1933- A. BATES SEWING MCHINE Filed .my 8, 1927 3 SheeswShe'et 5 Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENTI FFECE ARTHUR BATES, F LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF IPATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SEWING MACHINE Application led July 8, 1927, Serial No. 204,278, and in Great Britain July 20, 1926.

This invention relates to sewing machines for use in the manufacture of boots or shoes and is particularly concerned with curved needle machines for stitching together the sole and upper of turn shoes. It has especially in view the improvement of that class of machine which is used to sew turn slippers without previous lasting and is described in Patent No. 1,163,558, dated December 7, 1915 1o and in Patents Nos. 1,188,388 and 1,188,389,

dated June 27, 1916.

The present invention has for its objects` to provide a machine of this class of simple and light construction as a whole and to provide improved forms of and actuating mechanisms for sewing and work feeding devices of machines of this class to adapt the same for running at comparatively high speed and render the same well capable of operating upon material of inferior quality without damaging the material (for instance by pulling the stitches through the material as is liable to occur with the heavy machines today in use) while also capable of sewing material of good quality in as satisfactory a manner as with machines heretofore in use. Such slipper turn shoes as referred to above may require to have sewn to the upper by the sewn seam either a felt or rubber sole or a combination sole of felt or rubber and leather or a sole composed only of leather.

Other objects. and the various novel features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description given by way of example of one form of machine according to the invention and embodying its various features in particular forms thereof. The said form of machines has sewing instrumentalities of the nature and functioning' in the same general way to sew a chain stitch seam in work in a horn as the machines in customary use for slipper turn shoe sewing and the original form of which machine is described in the earliest dated of the aforementioned patents. In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation; Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the relative arrange ment of the work supporting horn, the needle,

the presser, the back rest and the feed point; i

Fig. L is a detail view in side elevation illustrating a modified form of feed point or foot with which the machine may be provided when shoes having channeled insoles are to be operated upon; Fig. 5 is a detail view in front elevation of certain of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a plan View of the parts illustrated in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a detail view in side elevation of the mechanism for actuating the feed point.

The novel machine comprises a base 1, adapted to be fixed to a work bench or pedes tal, 'which base has clamped in it so as to be adjustable vertically av vertical stem formed on a frame to the upper face of which is bolted a machine head 2.

The head has on it spaced uprights respectively carrying two bearings in which is rotatably mounted a horizontal driving or cam shaft 3 extending across the machine. The driving shaft has rotatably mounted on it at its right hand end a driving pulley l which is adapted to be clutched to the shaft by a clutch of the type illustrated and described in the patent to Jerram 1,124,620, dated January 12, 1915. On the opposite end of the shaft is a hand wheel 5 by which the driving shaft may be rotated. The clutch is enclosed in a substantially cylindrical casing extending from the righthand upright of the head and a rod 6 passes from the clutch to a treadle for controlling the clutch. Between the clutch and hand-wheel the head encloses a number of Cams and eccentrics which operate the sewing and feeding devices of the machine.

The frame carries a rotatable horn 7 on which the work is supported during the sewing and the horn is substantially of the shape andV disposition of, and is controlled in a similar manner to that shown in Patent 1,188,388 above referred to. A curved hook needle 8 is fixed in an-arm 9 which projects from a horizontal stud or spindle extending across the frame and rotatably mounted at the front of the head. The arm has pivotally connected to it one end of a rearwardly extending curved link 10 the other kend of which is pivotally connected to the front end of a needle-actuating arm 11 which extends back under the cam shaft to a. point behind and below the latter where it is pivoted on a shaft 12, extending across the machine,

lrotatably mounted at the rear of the head.

The needle-actuating arm has pivotally connected to it between its pivot and its connection to the link the lower end of a cam -l-ink 13 `the upper end of which has formed on it a rectangular strap 14 surrounding a fourway cam on the cam shaft. Pivotal'ly mounted on the head concentricallfv yiw-.ith fthe needle is a needle guard 15 of usual construction and actuated :by the ,needle anni .as usual.

A `tubular looper 16 having an offset thread-delivery end is Vmounted to rotate about its axis 'in an arm 17, secured @within the frame and pivoted on a -horizontal stud '18 (transverse-tothelooper a-xis) extending across the machine vand fixed in the head.

'The looper arm -17 is mounted'on an eccentric frame to hold the stud -in adjusted position. f

By this mea-ns the looper arm 17 may be ladjusted to bring the looper into proper relationship to the needle. The looper axis extends in its vertical plane `upwardly and forwardly from its delivery -end at an angle of some sixt-y degrees to the horizontal and its axis is in ithe plane -of the curved hooked needle. To rotate -thellooper about the needle, the looper hais formed on its gear teeth which inesh with a. rack lbar slidably mounted in the arm 17 and connected by a link 2O tothe strap 14 of the needle actuating mechanism.

A thread lfinger z3() operating in the usual way is fixed, inside of the head, on ythe -end of a horizontal shaft extending across the machine and rotatably mounted in a bearing on the head.

WVhenoperatingupon shoes .having a combination leather and felt sole the shoe is .fed over -the 'horn tip through ythe machine by a feed `point which digs into .the upper and the vfelt of the sole inside .the line of the r.The feed .point indicated at 23 is vfixed in the lower end of a. vertical bar 24 slidingly mounted in a vertical bearing which is yformed on the forward -end of a horizontal, rearwardly Yextending feed lever 25 .pivoted about lmid-way of its length on a vertical pi-vot v26 fixed .in the head under the cam shaft. The axis of' :the vertical pivot v26 is in a vertical plane passing through Ithe axis of the cam shaft. The vertical bar 24 has rotatably mounted in it a horizontal -pin 27 extending across the machine and through vertical slots aft each side of 'the bear-ing. The pin is bored perpendicularly at eachfside of 'the bearing and has sliding through it,

one at each side of the bearing, two horizontal pins 28 which extend forwardly from a cam lever 29. The cam level' 29 extends rearwardly of the machine and is pivoted below the cam shaft on a horizontal pin extending across the machine and carried by the feed lever 25. The cam lever `29 at its rear -end carries vertically beneath the cam shaft axis a cam .roll which enters vacam .groove .formed ina camonthecam shaft. 'By this means the feed point is given rising and falling movements. To obtain the lateral movements of the feed point to feed the work the feed lever 25 is extended :rearwardly from its vertical pivot in the head and at its rear end behind fthe cam shaft car-ries a vertical pin v3() which extends upwardly through a Vbearing in and between .the Aends `of a vcam llever 31 to 'pivotally Yconnect the two levers.

'The cam lever 31 extends horizontally forward'ly and rearwardly from the pin above the feed lever and at its forward endcarries a -vertical -cam roll -which immediately beneath the-canrshaftenters acam groove in a cam on the cam shaft. The rearwardexon it. By Azuijusting the rack 'bar 33 ,in its guideway the pin 32 on :the rack `,har which acts as a fulcrum for the-cam =lever31 is moved in the slot nearer to or farther from the .cam roll andthe thro-wof the pin '30 which connects thecam lever 31 tothe feed lever-25 is thereby varied and the lateral .movement of the feed point also varied. V-hen the feed point is at the end -of its feeding movement, that is at theendof its:movementitowards the left viewing the machine from the front and closest rthe needle .the slot rin :the cam lever 31 andthe guideway in the yhead are in alignment so that in any position of the 'pin in the slot the feed point is Ialways :moved 'to the same place at .the end of the feed stroke .and r vthe difference .in length of feed takes place at theoppositetend .of vthe stroke.

A presser or bender 35 is pivoted on an eccentric portioirof ahorizontal stud36 li-xed in the head to .extend from right to `left vso that by rotating fthe stud the heightwise and forward or rearward :position :of the presser maybe adjusted. The :presser is forked so as to engage the work at each side of the needle and 'bends down the edge of the shoe so as to position and Vhold it 0n kthe horn tip while the needle enters the work and :the presser holds the work while -t'he .needle is retracted.

The presser has a depending arm to which Cil is pivotally connected the forward end of a rearwardly extending rod 37 passing under the cam shaft the rear end of which slides through a pin 38 rotatably mounted in a downwardly extending arm of the lever 11. The rod has on its rear end a nut between which and the rear side of the pin 38 is a spring 39 surrounding the rod which yields after the presser engages the worlr.

A thread take-up lever l-O is pivoted on the head on a horizontal stud extending across the machine one arm of the lever carrying a roll over which the thread passes and the other arm carrying a cam roll which enters a cam groove in a cam on the driving shaft.

An auxiliary take-up 41 operates between the main 'take-up and the thread supply and comprises a depending arm pivoted on a horizontal stud extending across the machine and fixed in the head. Extending upwardly from the hub of the arm is a short arm which engages a spring plunger mounted in the head. Movement of the arm under the influence of the spring plunger is limited by an adjustable screw L.t3 in the head. second spring pressed plunger le in the head engaging the short arm increases the resistance of the auxiliary take-up near the end of its movement under the pull of the thread. `When operating upon work having a felt upper and channelled leather insole the feed point is displaced by a feed foot or channel guide e5 which is fixed to the left-hand end (as seen by the operator) of one arm of a horizontal lever 46 pivoted upon a vertical pin L1-7 and extending from right to left of the machine. The vertical pin 47 is carried at the front end of one arm of a cam lever i8 which is pivoted on a` horizontal stud extending from right to left of the machine and fixed at the lower end of the vertical bar hereinbefore referred to as carrying the feed point which bar in this case is fixed in its bearing on the feed lever 25. The rear end of the other arm of the cam lever i8 carries a cam roll which immediately beneath the cam shaft, enters a cam groove in a cam on the cam shaft to raise and lower the foot out of and into the channel. The to and fro feed movements of the foot are effected by lateral movement of the vertical bar to which the cam lever is pivoted as in the case of the feed point above c escribed. rI`he right hand end of the other arm of the lever Li6 to which the feed foot is fixed is held by a spring 419 against a cam surface 50 fixed on the head so that as the feed foot is moved to feed the work the arm rides over the cam surface and the feed foot instead of being moved in a curved path about the axis of the feed lever is caused to move in a straight line. The feed foot remains in the channel to support the work against the thrust of the needle as it penetrates the work.

lVhen operating upon combination felt and leather soles, a back gauge 51 is provided. A portion of the work engaging face of the back gauge is curved forward so as to bend down the work as it moves past it into the path of the presser. f

TWhen operating upon a shoe having a felt sole the work may be fed by the needle which will be given lateral movement in addition to its .vorlr penetrating movement. F or this purpose the needle spindle may be slidingly and rotatably mounted in the head and connected to the feed lever hereinbefore referred to so as to be moved laterally to feed the work. The horn and presser in this latter case may be of the shape and operated in a similar manner to 'those shown in Patent No. 1,163,558 above referred to.

The construction and arrangement described is one that results in the machine having most of its mechanism in a comparatively restricted space generally speaking beneath the level of the cam shaft and behind a vertical plane parallel to the cam shaft and through the working position. Thus save for the auxiliary take up and the front arm of the main take up lever, none of the thread and work handling parts of the machine or the linlr, lever or like mechanism connecting the saine with the cams or the like on the cam shaft lie above a plane containing the cam shaft axis and extending upwardly and rearwardly at some only tothe horizontal. Again, none of such parts except the looper itself and the roll of the main takeup extend substantially forward of a vertical plane parallel to the cam shaft and passing through the horn tip.

The following particulars of the relative timing of the parts will further indicate the nature of the movements:

The machine has a definite stopping point which -will be considered as the zero position. The needle is then fully retracted and stays so until the cam shaft has turned 650 when it advances to reach forward position 105O later staying forward then during 55 of cam shaft rotation when it commences to move back and reaches its fully retracted position-o before the cam shaft rotation is completed in which position it then stays.

The looper occupies 150 of cam shaft rotation and 2900 of its own rotation in laying the thread fully round the needle from the time it first brings the thread in contact with the side of the needle which occurs after the nee- I* dle has remained fully advanced for 20 of cam shaft rotation and after the looper has itself moved some 1600 from its starting position. The thread finger is forward until the cam shaft has rotated 135o when it retires during to stay back during 900 and then advances during to stay forward for the remainder of the cycle. The feed movement occupies 55 of cam shaft rotation of which thelirst five .decrees actually occur during the last five degrees of cam shaft rotation to the Zero position above adopted. The feed member stays in its left hand eX- treme and in its depressed positions until the cam shaft has turned 1850 from the zero position when the needle is fully advanced. Then during 5O of cam. shaft rotation the feed member lifts and thereafter returns during 40 of cam shaft rotation to its starting position where it dwells, lifted, during of cam shaft rotation to then fall during 10 and thereafter dwell in that position for 45. The main take up occupies 180o in rising and 180 in falling reaching its fully lifted position (i. e. the end of its pulling movement) at about 180 from said zero. The presser is in raised position at the beginning of the cycle for 50o when during 200 it falls to engage the work before the needle enters it and then stays down during 165 of cam shaft rotation when after the cam shaft has rotated 235o from zero position it commences to lift to reach its fully raised position just at the end of the cycle.

Certain features of the machine not claimed herein form the subject-matter of a divisional application Serial No. 644,444 filed November 26, 1932.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A sewing machine having, in combination, a horn arranged to extend within and support a shoe, stitch forming devices including a curved needle arranged to pass through the work in a path substantially par- 'allel to the work engaging surface of the horn, and means for feeding the work including a feed point arranged to engage the work inside of the line of the seam, and means for moving the feed point into and out of engagement with the work and back and forth in the line of feed.

2. A sewing machine having, in combination, a horn arranged to extend within and support a shoe, stitch forming devices including a curved needle arranged to operate in a fixed plane and to pass through the work in a path substantially parallel to the work engaging surface of the horn, and means for feeding the work including a feed point, a feed point carrier, means for moving the feed point on the carrier into and out of engagement with the surface of the shoe sole, and means for actuating the carrier to move the feed point back and forth in the line of feed,

3. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices7 a feeding device movable into and out of engagement with the work, a feed lever on which the feeding device is mounted the pivotal movement of which produces movement of the feeding device in the line of feed, a cam actuated actuating lever for the feed lever, an adjustable fulcrum pin for said cam actuated lever, a carrier for the said fulcrum pin, and means for adjusting said fulcrum pin to vary the feeding movement of the feed lever.

4. A sewing machine having, in combination, a horn arranged to extend within and support a shoe, stitch forming devices including a curved needle arranged to pass through the work in a path substantially parallel to the work engaging surface of the horn, a channel guide, a lever to which the channel guide is secured, a feed lever upon which the channel guide lever is pivotally mounted, means for actuating the feed lever to impart feeding and return movements to the channel guide, and a fixed cam engaging the channel guide lever to cause the channel guide to move in a straight line.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR BATES. 

